In response to “Search is on for a WSFD fire chief”

I think that maybe the data needs to be shown of how many times mutual aid has to be called out for our fire department in Willow Springs because we don’t have enough firefighters to work versus how many volunteers are “on staff”. Volunteers can’t always make it there, and if anyone’s ever dealt with volunteer situations knows that most of the time you don’t have very many volunteers show up in general so it concerns me more about the quantity showing up to fight fires versus how many are necessary to actually run a truck and fight the fire.

 

I also think that the main objective of a volunteer fire department is for the volunteers be able to get to the fire quickly and to assist in stopping the fire. I don’t really care what they’re wearing when they show up at my house if it’s on fire, but I know that they stop at the fire station to change clothes and then come could delay them 5 to 10 minutes at my house could be gone before they get there.

 

These are issues of protocol that need to be addressed of the minimum requirements versus what an “on staff” would actually wear and does the firetruck house some of the equipment they need to be wearing verses all the volunteers have to get to a centralized location to get the gear and then go to a fire.

 

Those protocols will determine how fast the department responses to a fire and ultimately determines our ratings for insurance due to fire risks of partial or whole loss of structures.

 

Bobbi Gregory, Willow Springs